Apparatus for loading the supply magazine of a packaging machine with collapsed cartons



July 8, 1958 w. B. LEAVENS, JR 2,842,363

-- APPARATUS FOR LOADING THE SUPPLY MAGAZINE OF A PACKAGING MACHINE WITH COLLAPSED CARTONS Filed. Oct 11. 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

JZHHHHI lLLLlll July 8, 1958 w. B. LEAVENS, JR 2,842,363

APPARATUS FOR LOADING THE SUPPLY MAGAZINE OF Filed Oct. 11, l

A PACKAGING MACHINE WITH COLLAPSED CARTONS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

avg g gj y 1958 w. B. LEAVENS, JR 2,842,363

A APPARATUS FOR LOADING THE SUPPLY MAGAZINE 0F APAcxAcmc MACHINE WITH COLLAPSED CARTONS Filed Oct. 11, 1956 s Sheets-Sheet s u Ale w:

United States Patent APPARATUS FOR LOADING THE SUPPLY MAGA- ZINE. OF A PACKAGING MACHINE WITH COL- LAPSED CARTONS This invention relates to means for loading a multiplicity of collapsed folded boxes or cartons into the supply hopper or magazine of an automatic packaging machine, such as a carton opening, filling and closing machine.

In the operation of a carton opening, filling and closing or similar machine, a supply of flat collapsed cartons is stacked, in column formation, in the feed hopper or magazine of the machine, from which hopper or magazine the cartons are successively delivered, by the machine operation, for progressive movement through the machine agencies by which the collapsed cartons are opened and set up, thereupon filled with the content to be enclosed therein, and then finally closed and discharged from the machine. 7

The loading of flat collapsed cartons into the machine hopper or magazine is a hand operation required to be performed by a machine attendant. In performing the loading operation, the operator can grasp but a few of the collapsed cartons at a time, and then, while holding the same in symmetrically stacked relation, must slide the same downwardly into the hopper or magazine through the open top end thereof. This customary method of loading the machine hopper or magazine involves risk that some or all of the grasped cartons may escape from the hand of the operator, and, in falling therefrom, be scattered over a floor or other surface, thus not only to be relatively displaced from a necessary symmetrically stacked column condition, but by contact with a floor or a surface of or adjacent to the machine, become so soiled or otherwise injured as to be unfit for use. Such mishaps also involve Waste of the operators time that is expended in effort to retrieve such cartons as are found to be usable, and then to reassemble the same in proper relation one to another in symmetrically stacked column condition. Such mishaps frequently occur when handling cartons of very small sizes, but risk of occurrence thereof is always present regardless of carton size.

Having the above in view, it is an object of this invention to provide novel means to facilitate the loading of stacks of flat collapsed cartons into the supply hopper or magazine of a carton opening, filling and closing machine, or like packaging machine; said means including a removable loading clip for holding and retaining a multiplicity of flat collapsed cartons in properly stacked column formation ready for insertion into the machine hopper or magazine; and including a load receiving means, at the top end of the machine hopper or magazine, into which the carton filled loading clip can be entered; and further including means whereby the loading clip can be readily removed from the column of cartons, after the latter is safely entered within said load receiving means; all whereby risks of displacement of cartons from required stacked column condition, or of dropping and scattering of cartons with likelihood of soiling or other 2,842,363 Patented July 8, 1958 2 injury thereto, are eliminated, and consequent waste of cartons is avoided.

The above and other objects will become apparent from a reading of the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of this invention in connec tion with the accompanying drawings thereof, in which drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the carton supply magazine loading mechanism according to this invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the same, viewed from the left of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a top end plan view of the same; all said views showing the mechanism in its closed or carton clip loading position.

Fig. 4 is a top end plan View of the loading mechanism in its open position for removal of the withdrawn empty carton holdingcl-ip after a carton loading operation.

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view, taken on line 5-5 in Fig. 3. i

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a carton filled holding clip adapted to be operated upon by the loading mechamsm.

Referring to the drawings, in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts, the reference character 10 indicates the upper open end of the carton supply hopper or magazine of a packaging machine, such e. g. as a carton opening, filling and closing machine.

Mounted in connection with said upper open end portion of the hopper or magazine 10 is an aligned upstanding extension thereof that is adapted to communicate with its interior, and which provides a receiving means into which a holding clip containing a multiplicity of fiat collapsed cartons, in symmetrically stacked column formation, can be entered. This receiving means is open along one side to provide an entrance way leading laterally into its interior. The interior of the receiving means thus provides a vestibule which communicates with the supply hopper or magazine 10, and which is adapted to receive the column of collapsed cartons, that can be lowered into the hopper or magazine 10, after the holding clip containing said column is removed therefrom.

Said carton receiving means, by way of example, is formed by an angle iron 11, which defines the rear end and part of one side of the vestibule 12 provided by the receiving means, and by side members 13 and 14, thus leaving the forward side of the receiving means open, whereby to form an entrance way 15 leading into said vestibule 12. The outer side member 14 is spaced forwardly from the back section of the angle iron 11, thus providing an intermediate elongated finger admission opening 16' for purposes hereinafter to be more particularly described.

The lower ends of the angle iron 11 and side members 13 and 14, which define the carton receiving means, are suitably secured to corresponding walls of the machine hopper or magazine 10, and the upper ends of said parts are suitably secured to top end closure means provided by an end block structure 17. Rigidly connected with the end block structure 17 to extend angularly therefrom in horizontal plane, is a carrier arm 18 by which a bracket member 19 is outwardly offset from the inner side of the carton receiving means, so as to extend forwardly beyond the entrance way 15 of the vestibule 12 of the latter. Aflixed to and dependent from the bracket member 19 is a bearing hanger 20 of a length substantially corresponding to the length of the carton receiving means. This bearing hanger is provided with a bearing arm 21 angularly projecting from its lower end. lournaled in and between the bracket member 19 and said bearing arm 21 is the pivoting shaft 22 of a carton column retainer and holding clip receiving frame F. This frame comprises substantially V-shaped upper and lower members, each formed by an inner arm 23 and an outer arm 24, the latter normally extending from the free end of the former toward and in substantially aligned opposition to the entrance way 15 of th carton receiving means.-

Said upper and lower frame members are afiixed by their inner arms 23 to the pivoting shaft 22, so that the carton column retainer and holding clip receiving frame, of which they form parts, can swing about the shaft axis as a fulcrum toward and from the entrance way 15 of the carton receiving means. Connected to and between the free ends of the outer arms 24 of the frame members is a perpendicular carton column retainer member 25, which is disposed parallel to the carton receiving means.

The carton column retainer and holding clip receiving frame is spring urged to an outswung withdrawn position relative to the carton receiving means. For this purpose, a spring 26 is mounted around the shaft 22. One end 26' of said spring is anchored to the bracket member 19, and the opposite end 26" is connected to the lower member of said frame, so that the tension stored in the spring, when the frame is swung to a position for cooperation with the carton receiving means, will impart out swinging movement to said frame, when the latter is released for such movement. Releasable detent means is provided to retain the frame in its in swung cooperative relation to the carton receiving means. As shown, this detent means comprises a latch element 27 which is pivotally mounted on the bracket member 19. This latch element is adapted to engage a detent arm 28 which extends angularly from the pivoted end of the inner arm 23 of the upper member of the carton column retainer and holding clip receiving frame. The latch element 27 is yieldably urged to its latching position by a compression spring 23, which is mounted between said latch element and a supporting abutment 30 with which the bracket member 19 is provided. The latch element 27 is provided with an upstanding lever arm 31 by which it can be manually moved to disengage the detent arm 28 of the carton column retainer and holding clip receiving frame. When said latch element is manually moved to release said frame, the latter will move to its out swung withdrawn position relative to the carton receiving means under the compulsion of the spring 26, and will be stopped in such withdrawn position by abutment of the detent arm 28 against a stop projection 32 that is mounted on the bracket member 19, in the path of retractive movement of said detent arm 28. The latch element 27 is stopped in its latching position by a stop pin 33 mounted on the bracket member 19 in a suitable location.

As shown, a multiplicity of fiat collapsed cartons C, which are arranged in stacked column formation, are initially enclosed in a removable holding clip that is made of cardboard or like sheet material. This holding clip comprises a clip body 35 of an internal width corresponding to the width of the fiat collapsed cartons C, of an internal height to accommodate a selected number of said cartons as arranged to form a stacked column thereof, and of length, from front to rear, corresponding to the length of said cartons. Said clip body 35 is open from front to rear, and is provided, at its front end coincident to one face thereof, with a pull tab or tongue 36 that is adapted to be disposed to project outwardly from the open front end of said body. If the cartons C are of the type provided with end closure flaps 1 one of which includes a projecting tuck tongue 1, the clip body 35 is preferably provided, at its front end, coincident with the opposite face thereof, with a stacked carton column aligning memher 37, which is adapted to be turned into the interior of the clip body, through the open front end thereof, so as to engage the forward ends of the cartons C at the junctures of the tuck tongues t thereof with adjacent end closure flaps f, thus serving to retain the cartons against displacement from their stacked column arrangement. The holding clip is sized to accommodate a selected given size of flat collapsed carton, and to hold a stacked column of said cartons of selected number. In most cases, one hundred or more of the flat collapsed cartons can be stacked in column formation and initially enclosed in the removable holding clip.

In the use and operation of the mechanism of this invention, for simultaneously loading a multiplicity of flat collapsed cartons into the supply magazine of a carton opening, filling and closing or similar machine, the frame F is initially outswung to an open position, whereby the entrance way of the carton receiving means is unobstructed. The entrance way 15 of the carton receiving means being thus exposed, a filled carton holding clip 35 is inserted, rear end first, through the entrance way 15 into the vestibule 12 of the carton receiving means of the loading mechanism. Upon such insertion, the filled holding clip is manually supported by a finger M of the operator, that is entered through the finger admission opening 16 of the receiving means, whereby to position said filled holding clip for aligned opposition to said frame F, when the latter is closed. This being done, the frame F is thereupon swung inwardly to its operative closed position (see Fig. 3), so that the carton column retainer member 25 of said frame is caused to enter the front end of the holding clip, and thereupon engage the carton column, with the pull tongue or tab 36 of said holding clip disposed to accessibly project exteriorly relative to a side of the column retainer member 25.

If the cartons are of the type having end closing flaps including tuck tongues t, the carton column retainer member 25 is preferably provided with an open longitudinal channel 34 to engage the tips of said tuck tongues r.

The frame F is releasably held, against the tension of its out swinging spring 26, in its above described operative closed position, by the latch element 27 which, under such conditions, engages the detent arm 28 of the frame F. While the frame F is held in operative closed position, the operator grasps the pull tongue or tab 36 of the holding clip 35, and by outward drag thereon, withdraws the holding clip 35 out of the vestibule 12 of the carton receiving means, so as to slide the same over and onto the outer arms 24 of the frame F (see broken line showing of the holding clip 35 in Fig. 3). The retainer member 25, by its abutting engagement against the stacked column of cartons C, operates to restrain the column of cartons against accompanying the outward movement of the withdrawn holding clip 35.

After the holding clip 35 is removed from the column of cartons, said column is supported by the finger M of the operator, and when the holding clip is entirely withdrawn and removed from the column of cartons, the operator lowers the latter by the supporting finger M into the supply magazine 10, and, by withdrawal of said supporting finger, allows the column of cartons to rest within said supply magazine 10.

After the column of cartons has been deposited within the supply magazine 10, the operator, by manipulating the lever arm 31, disengages the latching element 27 from the detent arm 28 of the frame F, thereby allowing the spring 26 to swing said frame outwardly to its open position, as determined by the engagement of said detent arm 28 with the stop projection 32, thus carrying away the withdrawn holding clip 35 from opposed relation to the carton receiving means (see Fig. 4). The frame F being disposed in open position, the operator can thereupon'withdraw and remove the empty holding clip 35 from the outer arms 24 of the frame F, as indicated by broken line showing of the removed holding clip which is disclosed in Fig. 4.

The above operations can be repeated from time to time as may be necessary to replenish the supply of fiat collapsed cartons in the supply magazine 10 of a carton opening, filling and closing or similar machine.

It will be understood that various changes could be made and apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof as defined by the following claims. It is therefore intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the ccompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. Apparatus for loading a multiplicity of collapsed folded cartons into the supply magazine of a carton opening, filling and closing or like machine, said cartons being stacked in column formation and initially enclosed in a removable holding clip, said apparatus comprising a carton receiving means aligned with said machine supply magazine in communication therewith, said receiving means having a forwardly open entrance way through which the carton filled holding clip can be entered thereinto, a carton column retainer and holding clip receiving frame, means to pivotally support said frame for swinging movement from an open position to a closed position substantially aligning a portion thereof in opposition to the entrance way of said receiving means so as to engage the free end of said frame portion with the carton column in the holding clip deposited in said receiving means, whereby to restrain accompanying movement of said carton column while the holding clip is manually Withdrawn therefrom and onto said frame portion, the withdrawn empty holding clip being removable from said frame portion when the frame is out swung to its open position, releasable latching means cooperative with said frame and adapted to releasably detain said frame in its operative closed position relative to the carton receiving means, and spring means to yieldably urge said frame to out swung position when said latching means is released.

2. Apparatus for loading a multiplicity of collapsed folded cartons into the supply magazine of a carton openings, filling and closing or like machine, said cartons being stacked in column formation and initially enclosed in a removable holding clip, said apparatus comprising a carton receiving means aligned with said machine supply magazine in communication therewith, said receiving means having a forwardly open entrance way through which the carton filled holding clip can be entered thereinto, a carton column retainer and holding clip receiving frame, means to pivotally support said frame for swinging movement from an open position to a closed position substantially aligning a portion thereof in opposition to the entrance way of said receiving means so as to engage the free end of said frame portion with the carton column in the holding clip deposited in said receiving means, whereby to restrain accompanying movement of said carton column while the holding clip is manually withdrawn therefrom and onto said frame portion, the withdrawn empty holding clip being removable from said frame portion when the frame is outswung to its open position, and said receiving means being provided in a side thereof with a longitudinally extending finger admission opening to give access to a finger by which a contained column can be supported and lowered into the machine magazine upon removal of the holding clip therefrom.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 including releasable latching means cooperative with said frame and adapted to releasably detain said frame in its operative closed position relative to the carton receiving means.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2 including releasable latching means cooperative with said frame and adapted to releasably detain said frame in its operative closed position relative to the carton receiving means, and spring means to yieldably urge said frame to out swung open position when said latching means is released.

5. In apparatus for loading a multiplicity of collapsed folded cartons into the supply magazine of a carton opening, filling and closing or like machine, in combination, a holding clip open from front to rear for initially containing the cartons in stacked column formation, said holding clip having a pull tongue for external projection from its front open end, a carton receiving means aligned with said machine supply magazine in communication therewith, said receiving means having a forwardly open entrance way through which the carton filled holding clip can be entered thereinto, a mounting bracket connected with said carton receiving means in offset relation thereto, a carton column retainer and holding clip receiving frame, means to pivotally support said frame in connection with said mounting bracket for swinging movement from an open to a closed position substantially aligning a portion thereof in opposition to the entrance way of said receiving means so as to engage the free end of said frame portion with the carton column in the holding clip deposited in said receiving means, whereby to restrain accompanying movement of said carton column while the holding clip is manually withdrawn therefrom by its pull tongue and onto said frame portion, the withdrawn empty holding clip being removable from said frame portion when the frame is out swung to its open position, and said receiving means having a longitudinally extending finger admission opening in a side thereof adapted to give access to a finger by which a contained carton column can be supported and lowered to the machine magazine upon removal of the holding clip therefrom.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 including releasable latching means mounted on said mounting bracket and cooperative with said frame to releasably detain the same in its operative closed position relative to said receiving means.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5 including releasable latching means mounted on said mounting bracket and cooperative with said frame to releasably detain the same in its operative closed position relative to said receiving means, and spring means to yieldably urge said frame to out swung open position when said latching means is released.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,194,702 Bol-ger Aug. 15, 1916 2,172,519 Reeder Sept. 12, 1939 2,726,860 Luhn Dec. 13, 1955 

